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New · CNC milling, PCB isolation & drilling, surface leveling

Your production hub for laser engravers and CNC machines.

GRBL Server ingests SVG, DXF, PNG/JPG images, Gerber copper layers, Excellon drill files, and G-code from local folders, databases, or S3, processes them through reusable workflows, and sends jobs to any GRBL, GRBL-ESP32, Marlin, Smoothieware or Klipper machine on your network.

Start your free month Download v0.1.3 Read the docs →

Free for your first month, then €3.99/month. GRBL over USB serial · ESP32/FluidNC over Wi-Fi · Klipper, Smoothie & Marlin over TCP.

Diagram: SVG, DXF, PNG and JPG images, Gerber copper layers, Excellon drill files and raw G-code arrive from a database, Amazon S3, or a local folder. GRBL Server processes them through file conversion, workflows, presets, interfaces, sequences, grids, clipping and surface leveling, then sends jobs to diode lasers, CO2 lasers and CNC routers running GRBL, Klipper or Marlin.
Files in. Sources connect. Workflows process. Machines run.

More than a sender.

Most workshop software is either a design tool or a one-machine sender. GRBL Server is the production layer in between: file sources, reusable workflows, presets, and a fleet of laser engravers and CNC machines on your network — with laser, spindle and drag tools as first-class citizens.

vs LightBurn

LightBurn focuses on designing and sending a single laser job to a single machine. GRBL Server skips design and focuses on reusable, multi-machine production — for spindles and drag engravers as well as lasers.

vs LaserGRBL

LaserGRBL is a simple sender/converter. GRBL Server adds workflows, mediators, grids, clipping, presets, PCB workflows, surface leveling, and fleet management on top.

Built around how production actually works.

A small set of building blocks that compose into reusable workflows.

Multi-machine fleet

Connect GRBL, GRBL-ESP32/FluidNC, Marlin, Smoothieware and Klipper controllers over USB serial, Wi-Fi or TCP. Drive a fleet of laser engravers and CNC routers from a single server.

Laser, spindle & drag tools

Tell each job what's mounted: a power-modulated laser, a router/spindle cutting at depth, or a diamond-drag engraver. Settings adapt to the tool — depths and plunge feeds for Z tools, power for lasers.

PCB isolation & drilling

Load Gerber copper layers for isolation routing and Excellon drill files for peck-drilled holes with bit-change pauses. Exports from KiCad, Eagle, Altium and EasyEDA all work.

Surface leveling

Probe a grid over the stock, build a heightmap, and warp the G-code so cuts follow the real surface. Essential for PCB isolation on never-quite-flat boards.

Visual workflow editor

Build reusable production pipelines with nodes: file sources, mediators, interfaces, presets, grids. Edit once, run forever.

Grid-based batch jobs

Tile a design across the working area or assemble different files into a single production batch with one node.

SVG path clipping & cropping

Constrain a laser job to an SVG d path or a rectangular bound. Useful for material-shaped batches.

Flexible file sources

Pull vector, image, Gerber and drill files from local folders, databases (parameterized SQL), or S3-style storage. Production data, not just local files.

Presets & interfaces

Save reusable machine, power, speed, depth and pass settings. Apply them across jobs without re-entering parameters every time.

2D & 3D job preview

See exactly where the job will land before sending — and orbit spindle and drag jobs in 3D, with toolpaths colored by cut depth.

Real-time job control

Pause, resume, and kill running jobs without disconnecting. State stays on the server, not on the device that submitted the job.

Local-network access

Run it on the workshop computer; open it from any phone, tablet, or laptop on the same Wi-Fi — by IP address or the grblserver.local shortcut. No cloud account required.
New · CNC & PCB

Mill, drill and route PCBs — not just engrave.

The same workflows that drive your lasers now drive rotating and dragging tools. Pick the tool type per job and the engine handles the Z axis: plunges, retracts, stepped depth passes, and travel at a safe height.

  • Spindle & drag tools — cut depth, depth-per-pass stepdowns, plunge feed, safe-Z travel, spindle RPM with spin-up dwell.
  • Machining operations — engrave on the line, inside/outside profile cuts offset by the tool radius, pocket clearing with stepover, and holding tabs that keep parts attached.
  • Excellon drilling — DRL/XLN hole patterns become peck-drill programs with chip-clearing retracts and a bit-change pause between drill sizes.
  • Gerber isolation routing — the cutter follows outward offsets of the copper to isolate every pad and trace, with configurable passes and clearance.
  • Surface leveling — probe a grid over the board, build a heightmap, and warp the program so shallow cuts follow the real surface.
  • 3D preview — any program that moves in Z gets an orbitable 3D view with toolpaths colored by cut depth.
GRBL Server Job Station showing the 3D G-code preview of a PCB isolation job — orbitable toolpaths colored by cut depth above a grid representing the material surface, with the surface-leveling probe dialog open
The Job Station's 3D preview: travel moves in red, cuts shaded by depth, leveling probe one click away.
Reusable workflows

Wire it once. Run it every shift.

A workflow is a graph of nodes: where files come from, how they're processed, how they're arranged into a grid, what clipping applies, which interface and laser engraver receives the job.

  • 1 Define file sources (local folder, database mediator, S3).
  • 2 Pick an interface (the engine parameters — tool type, power or cut depth, speed, passes; one profile handles vector and raster).
  • 3 Arrange into a grid and apply clipping if needed.
  • 4 Target a machine endpoint — laser engraver or CNC, over serial, Wi-Fi or TCP — and run.
GRBL Server workflows list with production_batch_a and acrylic_run_b workflows, each with Open, Compile, Run and Delete actions
GRBL Server machines administration showing four configured machines: laser_A (COM4 serial), cutter_B (websocket), engraver_C (serial), mark_D (websocket)
Multi-machine

One server, every machine on the network.

Connect GRBL, GRBL-ESP32/FluidNC, Marlin, Smoothieware and Klipper controllers over USB serial, Wi-Fi or TCP. Each machine appears as a named endpoint with its own working area and idle/active state.

  • · USB serial for GRBL, Marlin and Smoothieware boards.
  • · Wi-Fi WebSocket for GRBL32 / ESP32 / FluidNC controllers.
  • · TCP for Smoothieware, Klipper (Moonraker) and Marlin over the network.
  • · Per-machine working area, description and identifier.
  • · Connect / disconnect from any device on the network.
Files · grids · clipping

From a folder of SVGs to a full sheet of jobs.

Load files from a local folder, an external database, or an S3 bucket. Multiply them by the number of cells you need, arrange them in a grid across the working area, and clip the result to the material you've actually got on the bed.

  • · Filter files by prefix, suffix, extension, recursion.
  • · Multiplier per file for batch quantities.
  • · Grid tiling with configurable rows, columns, gap.
  • · SVG-path clipping using d attributes.
  • · Rectangular cropping for sheets and offcuts.
GRBL Server local folder file browser showing SVG files (order_42_keychain, order_43_tag, order_44_coaster) ready to be configured as jobs
GRBL Server presets list with plywood_3mm_engrave, acrylic_5mm_cut, steel_mark_basic and cardboard_test presets
Presets & interfaces

Save the dial-in once. Reuse it for every order.

A preset bundles together a machine, an interface (tool, power, speed, depths, passes), clipping, and the pre-visualizer layout. Once you've found settings that work for a material, save them as a preset and apply them in one click on future jobs.

  • · Per-material presets: plywood_3mm_engrave, pcb_fr4_isolation, ...
  • · Interfaces store the engine parameters — tool-aware, so the same dialog covers laser power and spindle depths.
  • · Sequences wrap each job with start / end G-code.
  • · Macros for reusable controller commands.
Free 1-month trial

Try everything free for a month.

Every feature, every machine, no card to start. After your first month, GRBL Server is €3.99/month.

Start free trial See pricing

Signed & verified

Every installer is digitally signed — Windows shows the verified publisher before anything runs. Download only from this site.

Local-first by design

Your files, machines and job history live on your workshop computer — not in a cloud. The account only validates your licence.

Support that knows the product

Support requests go straight to the engineering team behind GRBL Server — no tiered queues. Contact support →

Want the longer story? About GRBL Server →